Rain and Resonance Flute Festival
Festival Week
April 20 - April 24, 2026
9:00am - 5:00 pm
Magnolia Lutheran Church
2414 31st Ave W, Seattle, WA 98199
Clinician: Sharon Sparrow
General Overview
Rain and Resonance is a five-day festival for flute students, professionals, and adult amateurs. There is no minimum age, and we welcome flutists of all levels. Students are grouped into classes by age and repertoire level. All classes are open to the public, and performers will be assigned a class time based on their registration data.
There are several class options. Flutists may register for a Solo class, where they play one piece, a Full Program class, where they play a diverse program of pieces, an Orchestral Audition class, or an Ensemble class. There will also be a class on performance anxiety for adults on Thursday, April 23 from 1:00 to 2:00pm.
All performers will play for their class and receive both verbal and written feedback from a master teacher.
Eligibility
All flutists are welcome to register for Rain and Resonance.
Performing with a collaborative pianist is highly encouraged but is not required.
Rain and Resonance values collaboration and communication with local flute teachers. Registrants are not required to be working with a local flute teacher, but lessons are highly encouraged.
Registration Rules
Registration opens December 1, 2025 and closes February 28, 2026.
Registration is open until filled; once registration is full a wait list will be created. Flutists will need to submit accurate program and personnel information at registration. Incomplete registration will not hold a place in the program.
While registering, students will be asked for:
Student Name and Contact Information
Parent Name and Contact Information (if age 18 or younger)
Pianist Name and Contact Information (if applicable)
Repertoire to be performed, including movements and approximate timings
Flute Teacher Name and Contact Information (if applicable)
Payment
Registration is not complete until all information has been received, including payment. Rain and Resonance uses Venmo; please email well ahead of the registration deadline if you require payment method accommodations.
Registration form can be found here
class descriptions
Solo Class
Students perform one piece. Multiple movements are acceptable if they fit in the performance time allowance.
Grade 5 and younger: 7 minutes playing time
Grades 6-8: 7 minutes playing time
Grades 9 and older: 10 minutes playing time
Adults: 10 minutes playing time
Full Program Class
Students are responsible for curating a diverse program of 2-3 flute works within their performance time, representing multiple distinct styles, genres, or time periods of music for flute.
Grade 5 and younger: 12 minutes playing time
Grades 6-8: 15 minutes playing time
Grades 9 and older: 20 minutes playing time
Adults: 20 minutes playing time
Repertoire requirements for Solo And Full program Classes
Any work for flute alone or flute and keyboard is appropriate.
Pieces for flute and electronics are accepted on a limited basis; performers must provide their own sound systems/speakers/electronics, must comply with venue volume constraints, and must be able to set up their performance in less than 10 minutes. Limited onsite power and no onsite tech help will be available. Please email RainAndResonanceSeattle@gmail.com before registration; prior permission is required.
Performers must adhere to posted performance time limits. Cuts are allowed.
All participants must bring a score for the clinician with any cuts clearly marked.
Orchestral Audition Classes
These classes will mimic orchestral auditions. Participants will perform up to four orchestral excerpts of their choice - two excerpts in a blind first round, and two in the second round. The screen may be taken down in the second round. Excerpts may be repeated in each round. Adjudications and comments will take place after each round.
Ensemble Classes
Performers in groups of two or more may register for this class. Ensembles must feature at least one flutist, and can be of any combination of instrumentalists/singers, with the exception of flute/piano duos (Flute/piano duos should register as in a Solo or Full Program class).
Grade 5 and younger: 5 minutes playing time
Grade 6-8: 7 minutes playing time
Grade 9 and older: 10 minutes playing time
Adults: 10 minutes playing time
Each ensemble must pick one member to register and pay. This member will provide information for the entire group, and will communicate all Rain and Resonance information to the entire group.
Performance Anxiety Class
This group class is open to anyone who wishes to attend, and is aimed specifically at adults. Anyone already registered for at least one other class at the festival may attend for free. Anyone who wishes to audit this class only, and is not registered for another class, may attend for a small fee of $15.
This class will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 1-2pm.
2026 Rates
Solo Class
Grade 5 and younger: $70
Grade 6-8: $75
Grade 9 and above: $80
Full Program Class
Grade 5 and younger: $80
Grade 6-8: $85
Grade 9 and above: $90
Orchestral Audition Class
Grade 8 and under: $85
Grade 9-12: $95
Over grade 12, including college players and adults: $105
Ensemble Class
Grade 5 and younger: $80
Grade 6-8: $85
Grade 9 and above: $90
Adults: $90
Performance anxiety class
Participants registered in an additional R+R class: Free
Anyone not registered in an additional R+R class: $15
Payment Information
Payments can be made using Venmo. Search for @RainAndResonanceSeattle on the app or go to https://www.venmo.com/u/RainAndResonanceSeattle. Please include the flutist’s name in the comments.
Questions?
Email RainAndResonanceSeattle@gmail.com. Please allow 72 hours for a response.
About our 2026 Clinician
Sharon Sparrow
Sharon Sparrow recently retired from the flute section of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra after a prestigious 28 year career. While finishing her career as tenured Assistant Principal Flute, she won the National audition, played the positions of both Second and Principal Flute, and can be heard and seen on numerous recordings and broadcasts with the orchestra throughout her 28-year tenure. Beyond her career on the stage, Sharon is known nationally and internationally for her successful audition training method based on her book, “6 Weeks to Finals,” published by the Theodore Presser Company in 2016 and receiving a top publication award by the National Flute Association that same year.
Sharon travels around the country as a frequent guest artist at many flute festivals and masterclasses throughout each year, most recently for Carnegie-Mellon University’s The Consummate Flutist, the Philadelphia Flute Society, Ball State University’s Flute Day and The New Jersey Flute Society just to name a few. In 2018, Telemann for Two,Volume One—a collection of flute duets based on the Telemann’s solo fantasies she composed with colleague Jeffery Zook—was also published and released by Theodore Presser. Currently, Volumes One and Two are frequently performed and recorded all over the world by many different instruments.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Sharon began a private online group entitled The Unlimited Flutist to form a sense of community for flutists around the world to train, collaborate, and perform. This quickly branched out to her current passion, theAuditionAdvantage, a highly effective online program she began providing non-competitive and complete training curated for all musicians preparing for auditions. In 2024, Sharon joined rob’s inner circle as the first added coach in Rob Knopper's highly successful International audition training program. During the summers, Sharon splits her time between theAuditionAdvantage, Interlochen Arts Academy, and the Strings Festival in Colorado, providing a perfect blend of performing and teaching opportunities, all of which she is equally passionate about.
Sharon received her Bachelor of Music degree from the prestigious Juilliard School and her Master of Music degree from Mannes College of Music, and credits her three major teachers, Julius Baker, Thomas Nyfenger, and Geoffrey Gilbert with her unending pursuit of excellence and love for the flute and music-making.